Notes Prepared for Reference during Curzon’s Tour of the Persian Gulf, and Other Papers on Persia and the Persian Gulf [‎218v] (436/678)

I
' *v
2
criminal cases, but all liis judgments haye to be confirmed by the Wazir Minister. of
Las Bela before they are executed. There is a camel dak System of postal communication used in Moghul India and later by the East India Company. to Bela.
The telegraph station, consisting of one bungalow and one large office
building and quarters and manned by a clerk in charge and three signallers,
stands rather on the western side of the spit of sand forming the neck of the
headland. It derives its water from wells and from tanks filled by rain water
in winter.
The village stands on the eastern shore of the spit immediately under the
cliffs of the promontory.
The Naib has his residence in a small stone building just outside the village
called the Thana. A few of the leading Khojahshave stone houses, but all the
local population live in matting huts.
This matting, made from the pish palm, is the great manufacture of the
place and is largely exported to India. The Musjids of the village are built of
the local stone—a very soft sandstone that apparently soon wears away.
There is no school, and the leading Khojahs and Hindus send their childern
to Bombay and Sind for education. Las Bela territory was said to extend to,
and to include, Giabar Heg to the west of the Basol lliver. Ormara is full of
cats, and the dogs are covered with mange, said to be caused by living on fish.
The beach is covered with sharks’ heads and refuse.
The Is T aib at Ormara stated that no importation of arms was allowed at
Ormara, and that if any arms were imported he would confiscate them. None,
however, had been confiscated so far. There was only one Martini rifle said to
be in the place. I sent for it, but could not get hold of it, the owner appar
ently fearing that I would confiscate it. There were no apparent signs of any
general trade in arms in the place. He-emharked and left Ormara at 2 P.M.,
arrived opposite Khulmat, 40 miles to the west, at 7-30 p.m., and anchored for
the night.
Thursday, 5th December 1901. —Started at 7 a.m. and an hour and a half’s
steaming in the launch brought us up to Khulmat village. An Ormara Pilot
took us in round to the east. The deeper channel marked in Commander Tindall’s
survey lies to the west. At the entrance to the harbour we passed some fishermen’s
huts on the east bank and a Buggalow Large trading vessel. moored in mid-channel. At the point
on the west bank w'ere more fishermen's huts, and then at 8-30 we arrived at
Khulmat village consisting of three huts belonging to Sind Banias trading here
in matting and fish and a few Baluchis making the matting. About a mile to
the south a few mat huts were the residence of Mir Bhaian, the Head of the
Khulmat section of the Rind Baluchis.
Mir Bhaian, Khulmati, according to his own account, was formerly the
Chief of the Khulmats, numbering some 50 families scattered about on the
west side of the harbour, and his boundary, in former days, he said, expended to
the Basol River. Sir Robert Sandeman, however, he declared, fixed the
Khulmat Harbour itself as the boundary between Las Bela and Kej of Makran,
and the Sangur section of the Rakhshani Rinds now occupied the eastern
shores of the Khulmat Harbour and were subjects of Las Bela. They
numbered about 50 families under one Dost Muhammad, and the fisher’s huts
we saw on the east bank at the entrance to the harbour were subjects of Las
Bela. Ibis statement of Mir Bhaian’s does not seem to be correct, as Mr. Tate
in his report of 14th April 1892, page 21, states that in March 1891 Sir Robert
Sandeman, as a tentative measure, desired the Jam not to interfere east
(west r) of the Basol River. Shinban Reg lies to west of the Basol River, and
that apparently ought to be the dividing point. Mir Bhaian further said
that he now owned allegiance to the Gitchki Sardars of Kej and he had no
independent authority but acted as the agent of the Hindu customs con
tractor of Pasni and Khulmat. This contract is let for Rs. 4,500 for the year
and is paid to the Nazim of Makran. The taxes were levied at the following
rates :— ^
On 100 bundles of pish leaves . . . . . ,8 annas.
On 20 pieces of matting . . ..... 2r
On fish, 2 per cent, ad valorem.
I he dried fish were valued at the rate of Rs. 3 per hundred. They mostly
seemed to be young sharks. Opposite the Khulmat village a Buggalow Large trading vessel. from